The Temporary
”He groped for a date and remembered then that it was still only February. The year stretched before him in all its unavoidable detail, the hundreds of days and thousands of hours which he would endure as if something more lay at their end than mere repetition.”-Rachel Cusk, The TemporaryWhy and how do successful people…
Inception
Cobb: What is the most resilient parasite? Bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm? An idea. Resilient… highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it’s almost impossible to eradicate. An idea that is fully formed – fully understood – that sticks; right in there somewhere.The question that we should ask better is,…
Coventry
”Indeed, we believe everyone has a book in them – a book, not a symphony, and not even a poem. What is it, this book everyone has in them? It is, perhaps, that haunting entity, the ‘true’ self. The true self seeks release, not constraint.”-Rachel Cusk, Coventry: EssaysA book is a book.Even if the writer…
The Beauty in Breaking
”A human being can never treat another person better than he treats himself.”-Michele Harper, The Beauty in Breaking”How can you help someone if you can’t help yourself?”That question prompts us to think more clearly about sincerity.Are you going to help because you want praise and validation for someone else, or because you feel good about…
When Breath Becomes Air
”Human knowledge is never contained in one person. It grows from the relationships we create between each other and the world, and still it is never complete.”-Paul Kalanithi, When Breath Becomes AirKnowledge, when it is not shared, might be worthless.Through collaboration, teamwork, and consistent application, it will not be useless.Things that make it more debatable…
The Sun and Her Flowers
the right one does notstand in your waythey make space for youto step forward-Rupi Kaur, The Sun and Her FlowersLet’s talk about what is truly yours.It’s yours because you two are meant to be together.Perhaps there are obstacles, but it’s a way forward that reveals how strong you are.Without it, there is no challenge.I might…
Milk and Honey
i am a museum full of artbut you had your eyes shut-Rupi Kaur, Milk and HoneyThere is beauty in everything when the right eyes can see it.They turn imperfection into art.Even the simplest thing, like a photo, can become a sophisticated piece of content.As an artist, the goal is to create art for those who…
Lost Birds
”Patriotism was love of country, not of government. This had been Navajo land from the start of time, and it always would be held sacred.” -Anne Hillerman, Lost Birds (Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito, #27) In the service of the nation, it must be about how the country will progress, not a conflict about people who…
Theo of Golden
”Sadness can make us bitter or wise. We get to choose.”-Allen Levi, Theo of GoldenIt’s human nature to feel that way because people have feelings and emotions.If pets can recognize feelings, and they are smart enough to know how those emotions will be revealed.It’s a counterintuitive approach to how emotions can help us get better.
The Things We Never Say
”Loneliness does not come from having no people about one, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to oneself, or from holding certain views which others find inadmissible. —Carl Jung”-Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never SayBeing alone is okay when you know how to handle things on your own.Loneliness might feel…
A Traveler at the Gates of Wisdom
”Don’t we all hope for some form of immortality? We might not be able to breathe forever but there are other ways to stay alive.”-John Boyne, A Traveler at the Gates of WisdomWe might find a reason why we stay alive.The reason is not just a cause but a purpose.What are the things that you…
The Librarianist
”When we gamble, we’re asking the universe what we’re worth, and the universe, terrifyingly, tells us.” -Patrick deWitt, The Librarianist Race to the top is what matters while racing to the bottom is what most stuff goes. What value are you putting in that people can’t help but talk about? That’s remarkable, different and original.…
Evening
“There is no good reason. Don’t waste your life waiting for good reasons…You’ll wait and wait.”-Susan Minot, EveningThe reason might become excuses instead of taking an actionable step towards progress.The more you wait, the more likely it is that you pursue perfection.Perfection leads to waiting for the right time, but you miss the much bigger…
Jacob’s Ladder
”These thoughts seemed so resonant, so well constructed in my mind, but when I put them down on paper they sound naïve and half formed, simply childish. But I know what I want to say. A person has died – so, right away, everyone should just forget about that person. I once said that when…
Young Once
”Something—he wondered later if it was simply his youth—something that had weighed upon him until that moment broke off him, the way a piece of rock slides slowly into the sea and disappears in a spray of foam.”-Patrick Modiano, Une jeunesseYou are what you experience in your youth.It builds your character, and that character becomes…
In the Café of Lost Youth
“We live at the mercy of certain silences. We have all known things about each other for a long time. So we try to avoid each other. It would be for the best, of course, if none of us were ever to see each other again.”-Patrick Modiano, In the Café of Lost Youth (New York…
Dora Bruder
”In writing this book, I send out signals, like a lighthouse beacon in whose power to illuminate the darkness, alas, I have no faith. But I live in hope.”-Patrick Modiano, Dora BruderThat is the power of a written word.The power shines most when it is inspired by resilience in the face of obstacles.We know that…
Annihilation
”The effect of this cannot be understood without being there. The beauty of it cannot be understood, either, and when you see beauty in desolation it changes something inside you. Desolation tries to colonize you.”-Jeff VanderMeer, Annihilation (Southern Reach, #1)You can find something and be more aware of what you actually need to do when…
The Absolutist
”I think i’m just breathing, that’s all. And there’s a difference between breathing and being alive.”-John Boyne, The AbsolutistWe feel more alive when we are part of something bigger than ourselves.It means that the vision of the future state will benefit not only you but also the people who care about you.
A Thousand Mornings
And now you’ll be telling storiesof my coming backand they won’t be false, and they won’t be truebut they’ll be real-Mary Oliver, A Thousand Mornings: PoemsWe shared an experience of something unlikely to happen.Things that don’t seem interesting aren’t worth talking about.Stories are everywhere, but those great stories must be inspiring.
Red Sorghum
”I sometimes think that there is a link between the decline in humanity and the increase in prosperity and comfort. Property and comfort are what people seek, but the costs to character are often terrifying.”-Mo Yan, Red SorghumProgress might feel risky, and the cost is moral values.If things make people feel like they are having…
In Memoriam
”I’m sorry. This is not what I intended to say. What I meant to say is this: You’ll write more poems. They are not lost. You are the poetry.” -Alice Winn, In Memoriam To explain something, like you find a deep sense of meaning, that’s poetry. Like a song that you listen to and want…
Clear
”He found himself wishing he could go back and start again and do everything differently. But time was the worst thing; time, it seemed to him now, was the only thing you couldn’t change; whatever you did, it kept coming.”-Carys Davies, ClearNo regrets; that’s the essence of not being aware of time.But time always goes…
Yesteryear
”But that’s something I’ve learned in the years since I left the ranch: you cannot change people who refuse to be changed. You can only love them. So here it is, all the love I have to give, pressed into the pages of this book.”-Caro Claire Burke, YesteryearWe can’t force people.We need to make things…
The History of Sound
”But you should have a little pain in your life—humans are meant to have a little pain. Endings, I suppose, like seasons, like winters. That’s where all the good stuff is—ripped apart so that you can feel the mending. There’s nothing like it. I wouldn’t wish an uneventful life on my worst enemy.”-Ben Shattuck, The…
Lot
“Eventually, I finally asked her what she got out of reading these books by old dead men, what the words on the page had to do with her. The kind of question an idiot asks.”-Bryan Washington, LotA dead man may write those old books that you read about his perspective or point of view.Writing and…
Friday Black
“Even the apocalypse isn’t the end. That, you could only know when you’re standing before a light so bright it obliterates you. And if you are alone, posed like a dancer, when it comes, you feel silly and scared. And if you are with your family, or anyone at all, when it comes, you feel…
Heads of the Colored People
”And what is a black network narrative but the story of one degree of separation, of sketching the same pain over and over, wading through so much flesh trying to draw new conclusions, knowing that wishing would not make them so?”-Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Heads of the Colored PeopleStory is a challenging part of a kind of…
Cloud Atlas
”A half-read book is a half-finished love affair.”-David Mitchell, Cloud AtlasIf you want to write a story, you need to finish it.Just like if you want someone because you fall in love, you need to say it.I think doing things and focusing on what matters most gives you fulfillment, not because you only desire to…
Introducing The Logo
Make brand, not content. Content might feel easy, while the brand is hard to make. Content will be forgotten, but the brand remains.
The Pale King
”How odd I can have all this inside me and to you it’s just words.”-David Foster Wallace, The Pale KingWe forget even the most valuable things in life.It’s like a memento, like some reminder.But words are different because even if it’s just words, it’s a permanent thing that may last the test of time.Your feelings,…
Consider the Lobster
“Am I a good person? Deep down, do I even really want to be a good person, or do I only want to seem like a good person so that people (including myself) will approve of me? Is there a difference? How do I ever actually know whether I’m bullshitting myself, morally speaking?”-David Foster Wallace,…
Her Body and Other Parties: Stories
”I understood that knowledge was a dwarfing, obliterating, all-consuming thing, and to have it was to both be grateful and to suffer greatly.” -Carmen Maria Machado, Her Body and Other Parties: Stories It’s not enough to consume knowledge. Just like it’s not enough to eat whatever you want to eat, but there is a lack…
The Tiger’s Wife
”The dead are celebrated. The dead are loved. They give something to the living. Once you put something into the ground, Doctor, you always know where to find it.” -Téa Obreht, The Tiger’s Wife We know the value of a person (especially your loved ones) when they are gone in this life. The dead are…
House of Light
“Tell me, what is it you plan to dowith your one wild and precious life?”-Mary Oliver“The Summer Day” (House of Light)Maybe we have only one life, but we are a series of something greater than one life.What does that mean?It means that we build for adventure, not isolation.Yes, of course, we need to isolate sometimes,…
Devotions
”Maybe our world will grow kinder eventually. Maybe the desire to make something beautiful is the piece of God that is inside each of us.”-Mary Oliver, Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary OliverWe call it Art when a human being makes something and generously shares it with people as a gift.When you want to touch…
The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke
“For one human being to love another human being: that is perhaps the most difficult task that has been given to us, the ultimate, the final problem and proof, the work for which all other work is merely preparation.”-Rainer Maria Rilke, The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria RilkeTo love and be loved might be the…
Four Quartets
For last year’s words belong to last year’s languageAnd next year’s words await another voice.-T.S. Eliot, Four QuartetsWhat’s the difference between the present and future times?Even grade schoolers may be able to answer those questions.The thing about time is that it’s a constant that keeps moving, and no human being can stop it.I always say…
Orange World and Other Stories
”Echoes of unknown origin. Words that went skipping across minds for centuries, apparently, before sinking into mine.”-Karen Russell, Orange World and Other StoriesThere is a saying that goes, “We live more lives when we read more books.”More lives to see the experience of other lives on how they conquer, suffer, or bear those kinds of…
CivilWarLand in Bad Decline
”What I’m primarily saying,’ he says, ‘is that this is a time for knowledge assimilation, not backstabbing. We learned a lesson, you and I. We personally grew. Gratitude for this growth is an appropriate response. Gratitude, and being careful never to make the same mistake twice.” -George Saunders, CivilWarLand in Bad Decline We can learn…
Ways of Seeing
”When in love, the sight of the beloved has a completeness which no words and no embrace can match: a completeness which only the act of making love can temporarily accommodate.”-John Berger, Ways of SeeingThat’s one of the ways of seeing when you are falling in love.Seeing and feeling heard are vital parts of being…
On Photography
”To photograph people is to violate them, by seeing them as they never see themselves, by having knowledge of them that they can never have; it turns people into objects that can be symbolically possessed. Just as a camera is a sublimation of the gun, to photograph someone is a subliminal murder – a soft…
How to Be Alone
”Reading enables me to maintain a sense of something substantive– my ethical integrity, my intellectual integrity.”-Jonathan Franzen, How to Be AloneIf people can’t read it means that they don’t want the overall description of a kind of situation that enables us to see clearly.People read not because they are smart but because it’s like an…
Crossroads
”The dream of a novel was more resilient than other kinds of dreaming. It could be interrupted in mid-sentence and snapped back into later.” -Jonathan Franzen, Crossroads When you dream it’s real that you are dreaming. But it’s just a dream. It means that it’s natural to have a dream while you sleep and it’s…
The Corrections
”Fiction is a solution, the best solution, to the problem of existential solitude.” -Jonathan Franzen, The Corrections That’s the solution. But first of all, what is the problem? The problem is that there is also existential boredom. What happens is that when we feel bored, it’s because of a lack of focus on one thing.…
The Children’s Bach
“To marry, to have children; to fail at one thing and to take up another, to drink and dance in public places, to buy food in supermarkets and petrol at service stations, to read of the same murders in the same newspapers, to shiver in the same cold mornings, and yet never to bump into…
Everybody Knows
“Most people who facilitate things like this hate themselves for doing it—and they think that makes it okay. Like it’s not really them who is doing it.”-Jordan Harper, Everybody KnowsPeople do things because they can.Some people can do the thing.The point is, there are different kinds of people and not everyone is the same.If you…
A Violent Masterpiece
”Crisis management is its own art.”-Jordan Harper, A Violent MasterpieceThe only thing that offers an in-depth way of seeing things that are more clearly characterized is Art.Even in different kinds of crises, there is a way to solve the problem.The way to solve the problem might be to improve things.The Art of Solving is much…
In the Land of the Cyclops
”My life is surface, depth my yearning.”-Karl Ove Knausgård, In the Land of the Cyclops: EssaysAs time goes by, it makes more sense to do the things you want to do in this life rather than follow your schedule or plan.Having a strict schedule and plan helps you to become more organized.We live in a…
Texasville
”There isn’t a thought in my head I care to be alone with for more than five minutes.”-Larry McMurtry, TexasvileLoneliness might feel boringBut you need the time for yourself to reflect and pause.You did a lot of work; you gave a lot of time to your schedule, and the result might be stress and tiredness.Some…
So Long, See You Tomorrow
”They looked at me, and were so full of delight in the pleasure they were giving me that some final thread of resistance gave way and I understood not only how entirely generous they were but also that generosity might be the greatest pleasure there is.” -William Maxwell, So Long, See You Tomorrow Doing good…
All Art is Propaganda
”All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia.”-George Orwell, All Art Is Propaganda: Critical EssaysIf those things cause everything to conflict, then people must think of ways to make it better instead of making it worse.It makes it better, but it doesn’t mean there is…
The Signature of All Things
”I would like to spend the rest of my days in a place so silent–and working at a pace so slow–that I would be able to hear myself living.”-Elizabeth Gilbert, The Signature of All ThingsThis place is kind of a solitary place where you can even hear what you are doing, whether it is just…
Gone with the Wind
“After all, tomorrow is another day!”-Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the WindWhat you did yesterday may be different from what you do today.What tomorrow brings is what you did yesterday.What that means is that each step towards success or whatever you want the result that you need is something far more important when you do something…
Selected Poems, 1947-1995
“I don’t like the government where I live,” he sings.“I don’t like dictatorship of the RichI don’t like bureaucrats telling me what to eatI don’t like Police dogs sniffing round my feet.”-Capitol Air by Allen GinsbergAllen Ginsberg is one of the pioneers of the Beat Generation.The Beat Generation is a group of writers who write…
Selected Poems
Maud went to college.Sadie stayed at home.Sadie scraped lifeWith a fine-toothed comb.-Gwendolyn BrooksDifferent people do different kinds of things in life.Sometimes those things will make us feel like we are contributing something to the greater good.But regardless of what you do in life we keep living and being as useful as where our different kinds…
Cold Mountain
”What you have lost will not be returned to you; it will always be lost. You’re left with only your scars to mark the void. All you can choose to do is go on, or not. But if you go on, it’s knowing you carry your scars with you.”-Charles Frazier, Cold MountainWe are privileged to…
Hear the Wind Sing
”Even from whatever miserable experience you might have, there is something to be learned.”-Haruki Murakami, Hear the Wind SingLearning is different from just what you know about information, especially on the Internet.There is too much Information on the Internet; you can ask ChatGPT or any search engine, and instantly it will give you an infinite…
Heaven
”Everything was beautiful. Not that there was anyone to share it with, anyone to tell. Just the beauty.”-Mieko Kawakami, HeavenWe can see beauty everywhere.Different people have different kinds of points of view regarding beauty.But beauty is first defined as paintings or Art that give meaning when you see them in a museum.In a metaphorical sense,…
South of the Border, West of the Sun
”The sad truth is that certain types of things can’t go backward. Once they start going forward, no matter what you do, they can’t go back the way they were. If even one little thing goes awry, then that’s how it will stay forever.”-Haruki Murakami, South of the Border, West of the SunThings keep moving…
Streets of Laredo
”He was just a husband and a salaried man. Choice didn’t play any part in his life.”-Larry McMurtry, Streets Of Laredo (Lonesome Dove, #2)A Husband, A Father a Leader who could provide for his family.A Real Man could provide for his family if he has a wife and a son or daughter.Each of us has…
All the Pretty Horses
”Scars have the strange power to remind us that our past is real.”-Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses (The Border Trilogy, #1)Scars are maybe the sign of what you experience.Its more rare than a tattoo.Maybe it’s a symbol of who you are and what you become.The past is real, and it’s always been the guide…
Tenth of December
”It was that impossible thing: happiness that does not wilt to reveal the thin shoots of some new desire rising from within it.”-George Saunders, Tenth of DecemberSome people believe that happiness is what matters most.Happiness comes and goes, fulfillment lasts.We should not pursue happiness for material things, but rather for fulfillment.
The Last Picture Show
”Do you know what it means to be heartbroken?…It means your heart isn’t whole, so you can’t really do anything wholeheartedly.” -Larry McMurtry, The Last Picture Show It’s a negative emotion and the same as an opportunity. You gain something like experience by showing up and building something that makes you strong enough. Maybe that’s…
Suspicion
”There is no vacation from writing. “-Seichō Matsumoto, SuspicionWriting comes from thinking.The worst boss might be yourself when it comes to writing.To think about words and to push yourself into believing that these words are what makes it more helpful.To describe something more powerfully.
The Winds of Maracaibo
“It was too late, y la ternura no basta—now that she’d tasted the gunpowder, and the gunpowder was bolivariano, revolutionary.”-María Elena Morán, The Winds of MaracaiboWe live in a revolutionary time.I’m not talking about the revolution that talks about bloodshed.I’m talking about technological revolutions that change the way our daily lives work.It’s like a strong…
The Château
“Human thought is by no means as private as it seems, and all that you need to read somebody else’s mind is the willingness to read your own.”-William Maxwell, The ChateauComprehending might be the point at which you need to read not because it’s the rule but because it’s a virtue.Reading is a focused activity…
When the Light Goes
“What have either one of us done but make bad choices?” Duane asked. “In your case it’s mostly been bad choices about women. In my case it’s been bad choices about food.”-Larry McMurty, When the Light GoesThere are a lot more choices than ever before.A choice on what universities or colleges you want to apply…
There Will Be Blood
Daniel Plainview: What are you looking so miserable about? There’s a whole ocean of oil under our feet! No one can get at it except for me.Oil runs the world. It might be (in a metaphorical sense) the lifeblood of modern civilization. It is one of the foundations of the society in which it works,…
Still Born
”The truth was they were both inept, but it is always easier to blame others for what we cannot tolerate in ourselves, what we cannot forgive ourselves for.” -Guadalupe Nettel, Still Born There is always forgiveness. But always there is no forgetfulness. If people are cruel, unforgiven, inconsiderate, maybe it’s because we don’t know what…
Soft Serve
”How often is there resolution in life? Once? Twice, if someone’s really looking for it. The rest is just one long suspension. Life isn’t folded laundry; it’s the clothes chucked into the washing basket waiting to be cleaned.” -George Kemp, Soft Serve It’s a metaphor because Life might be a mess and sometimes cruel. But…
Tenderfoot
”Above all, I learned that attention is the foundation of all human interactions and nothing else – not love, or hate, or anger – can exist without first noticing someone, without seeing them and registering their specific existence at the particular moment somewhere in your mind.” -Toni Jordan, Tenderfoot Seeing and overlooking are different things.…
Always Homesick
”In my brief breath of life, might I find a way to fit light to paper?” -Hannah Kent, Always Homesick Some of us are privileged. Some of us don’t. Some of us are lucky. Some of us are hurt. But regardless of those things we always continue living when we breathe. Each morning is a…
Tenet
Andrei Sator: How would you like to die? The Protagonist: Old. Andrei Sator: You chose the wrong profession. Business people become richer because they earn money while they sleep and the older they are, the more money they get. The family gets richer because it is inherited by the family. Being employed is essential because…
Tokyo Express
“Sometimes, a preconceived opinion will make us overlook the obvious. This is a frightening thing. We call it common sense but it often leaves us with a blind spot. Even if something appears to be obvious one should investigate, objectively, to make absolutely sure.” -Seichō Matsumoto, Tokyo Express There is something called, “Feelings or emotions”…
Palaver
”We’re there for each other, said Alan. We’re all we have. Me, you, and the rest. We’re here, and then we’re gone, but we can be here for each other. It’s the least we can do, and also the hardest thing we can do. Because we don’t have to save the world, you know? Just…
Sunnyland
I won’t lie, I only love you for the heartbreak I only love you for the give and the take No, you know I want it -Never Sure by Mayday Parade The band Mayday Parade are consistent about their genre even If their songs are not the most popular. They are the band that stood…
The Farmer’s Daughter
”In his view far too much had been happening and he craved the nothingness of the Upper Peninsula, a feeling he shared with the ancient Chinese that the best life was an uneventful one.”-Jim Harrison, The Farmer’s DaughterConsistency always beats intensity.It means that it’s not always the event, but rather the different kinds of little…
Faithful and Virtuous Night
I think here I will leave you. It has come to seemthere is no perfect ending.Indeed, there are infinite endings.Or perhaps, once one begins,there are only endings.-Louise Glück, Faithful and Virtuous NightPoems like this are essential, just like music. When you hear about it, it just makes you remember things.But sometimes it’s different to just…
The Prize
”A friendship founded on business is better than a business founded on friendship.” -Daniel Yergin, The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power What I understand about it is that Business is a kind of relationship, like a family, that is passed down for future generations. A Business founded on friendship is like…
A Quiet Place
”The people we know, even those closest to us in our everyday lives, might be leading double lives unknown to us.” -Seichō Matsumoto, A Quiet Place We don’t always know the people that we meet, even those people that are closest to us. Maybe they lead a life more troubling, or prosperous that gives different…
The Body
“Am I weird?””Yeah. But so what? Everybody’s weird.”-Stephen King, The BodyThere are more weird people than normal people.Weird means that it’s not about being hateful and always disappointed by the public.It means that different people have different tastes whether it is in music, movies, or art.Even on social media there are more weird people out…
Led Zeppelin IV
Hey-hey, mama, said the way you move Gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove Ah-ah, child, way you shake that thing Gonna make you burn, gonna make you sting -Black Dog by Led Zeppelin This band is one of the most influential in the classic heavy rock genre of music. They define a generational…
She Who Remains
”Her eyes fill with seawater, she doesn’t turn around because she knows if she turns around she’ll fill up the room with the same water and we’ll both drown.” -Rene Karabash, She Who Remains What I understand about it is that tears, sweat and tiredness or struggles will make a metaphorical sense. It means that…
A Bronx Tale
Lorenzo: The saddest thing in life is wasted talent. Every person has a unique talent. But talent is not the same as skill. Talent is overrated while skill is earned and will be learned. Talent becomes wasted when it is not applied or practiced in different or small stages. This film is a classic take…
Angel Down
“A fellow starts doubting the point of fighting for a country who won’t fight for him.” -Daniel Kraus, Angel Down Being a nationalist is not a bad thing, it only means that you are loyal to the country in which you were born. A country starts to crack down when the culture of it will…
La Haine
Hubert: Heard about the guy who fell off a skyscraper? On his way down past each floor, he kept saying to reassure himself: So far so good… so far so good… so far so good. How you fall doesn’t matter. It’s how you land! Everyone wants to have reassurance. But Reassurance when you make art…
The King is Dead
”I feel free and strong. If I were not a reader of books I could not feel this way.” -Walter Tevis To know is something that gives you freedom. Knowledge might provide us with technical details about the job that you have to do. Wisdom gives you the principles and emotional intelligence to create something…
Limberlost
”It was a horrible sensation, feeling that the facts of his life had blurred.” -Robbie Arnott, Limberlost Facts or reality are something that gives you maybe freedom. However, being aware that it is so important is crucial because it’s part of being alive, especially when you’re informed about something like breaking news. The greatest story…
Chinatown
Walsh: Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown. When I say it’s all about a place, it’s because of the environment that influences how people respond and exhibit their behavior. It’s more to say that it’s about the psychological environment in which people behave. This film is one of the classics in the detective genre, and it’s…
The Remembered Soldier
”The world is governed by bloodthirsty politicians who use people as pawns.” -Anjet Daanje, The Remembered Soldier This world is always governed. It is governed because governance is independent or freedom. Every free country has a government. However, when the government becomes corrupt, its main concern becomes facing the opposition and ignoring problems in various…
Grace
Looking out the door I see the rain Fall upon the funeral mourners Parading in a wake of sad relations As their shoes fill up with water -Lover, You Should’ve Come Over by Jeff Buckley One of the best albums in his career. Jeff Buckley is an artist that maybe some people didn’t know about…
Kingfisher
“Most of us are poets, she said. It’s just a question of how it comes out.” -Rozie Kelly, Kingfisher Songs need rhymes that make it a song. Painting needs a certain depth of meaning so that it becomes a masterpiece. Everything might be a kind of poetry in motion, as life unfolds through its various…
The Appointment
”Daytime sleep is not deep black; it’s shallow and yellow. Our sleep is restless, the sunlight falls on our pillows. But it does make the day a little shorter.”-Herta Müller, The AppointmentWe are most awake during the daytime, and our energy is utilized during that time.We must also sleep at night because we need energy…
Children of Men
Miriam: As the sound of the playgrounds faded, the despair set in. Very odd, what happens in a world without children’s voices. Children are the future of this world whether we like it or not. They are the hope of the future of this world. But sometimes it’s so annoying that it’s disliked by other…
Public Access Afterworld
”Make it real.”-Jane Schoenbrun, Public Access AfterworldThose words are the foundation of what social media and other platforms will become.It doesn’t mean that news and other things will be real; this is why it says ‘make it real.’You will become a slave to what is happening and what you always see but people who make…
There is No Place for Us
”What we’re seeing today is an emergency born less of poverty than prosperity. Families are not ‘falling’ into homelessness. They’re being pushed.”-Brian Goldstone, There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in AmericaPerhaps we are more privileged today than we were yesterday.What does that mean?It means that it’s not a question of being rich…
The Infinite State
WHO GIVES YOU LIFE?PATER AETERNUSWHO GIVES YOU PURPOSE?PATER AETERNUS.WHO GIVES YOU JOY?PATER AETERNUS.These are the questions for which different people have different answers.The most important thing is that we have life and it’s a privilege that has been given to us.Life gives meaning when you have a purpose and that purpose serves as a joy…
The Antidote
”Why should money make evil comprehensible to anyone? But it does precisely this. Greed, violence, cruelty-money can explain them. Money can make the most heinous act seem like a sane one. A business decision. A necessary calculation. Evil’s genius is to costume itself as sense.”-Karen Russell, The AntidoteMoney is a story, and a long time…
Punch-Drunk Love
Walter: How’s business? Barry: Business is very food, thanks. Elizabeth: What’s very food? Barry: What? Elizabeth: You just said very food. Barry: Did I say that? Walter: Yeah. Barry: That was weird. I meant good. Walter: Maybe you said that because you’re hungry… Every business starts selling when people look for it because it’s essential…
The Queen’s Gambit
“The strongest person is the person who isn’t scared to be alone.”-Walter Tevis, The Queen’s GambitThat’s what makes you independent.Being Independent is hard, but it’s worth it because you know yourself well enough that your only responsibility is to become strong.But sometimes you need a partner who is aligned with your goals, dreams, and wants…
The Batman
The Riddler: If you are justice, please do not lie / What is the price for your blind eye.There is no more real justice right now.The Reality is often so distorted that people can’t see what is really happening.It’s a game every day.There is always a game plan.This film (not comparing to The Dark Knight…
Flashlight
”Love is, perhaps, the sensation of expertise that erupts out of nowhere, and as time goes on accumulates enough soil at its feet to be standing on something.” -Susan Choi, Flashlight You feel love when you experience it, not because it’s told to you, but because it’s acted upon by the person giving it to…
Stand by Me
Chris: You could be a real writer someday, Gordie.Gordie: [Angry] Fuck writing! I don’t want to be a writer. It’s stupid. It’s a stupid waste of time.Not everyone is an engineer but people have a simple and sustainable livelihood that makes them content in life.Some people want more and more.When you find your passion in…
The Color of Money
”A pool hustler had to do what he claimed to be able to do. The risks he took were not underwritten. His skill on the arena of green cloth – cloth that itself was the color of money – could never be only pretense.” -Walter Tevis, The Color of Money (Eddie Felson, #2) Sports are…
Gladiator
Maximus: Are you in danger of becoming a good man, Proximo? Proximo: Ha!Being a good man might be the hardest thing to do because it has no prize.But when you talk about being a good man, regardless of whether there is a prize or not, then that’s a virtue.The Roman Empire built on the idea…
People We Meet on Vacation
“I’m on vacation. Vacations always end. It’s the very fact that it’s finite that makes traveling special. You could move to any one of those destinations you loved in small doses, and it wouldn’t be the spellbinding, life-altering seven days you spend there as a guest, letting a place into your heart fully, letting it…
Man on the Run
Paul: “The Beatles have been my whole life, really. When we split up, I thought, I’ll never write another note of music.” The Beatles are the Beatles, and they consist of four Beatles who are essential to the group, regardless of their role. This Documentary about Paul McCartney, following the Beatles’ split, inspires him to…
Sleeping Children
”We treat our mothers like libraries we can visit anytime, forgetting that libraries close, books go missing, and one day, we’ll stand before a locked door with questions only she could answer.”-Anthony Passeron, Sleeping ChildrenThere are many lessons to be learned when the mother speaks.It will speak wisdom.It will also speak about how to teach…
The Great Train Robbery
”Should the police actually succeed in eliminating all crime, they will simultaneously succeed in eliminating themselves as a necessary adjunct to society, and no organized force or power will ever eliminate itself willingly.-Michael Crichton, The Great Train RobberyThe goal is always to serve and protect.We can observe in films the various tactics that unlawful groups…
The Hustler
“You drop that load too when you find yourself an excuse. Then, afterward, all you got to do is learn to feel sorry for yourself—and lots of people learn to get their kicks that way. It’s one of the best indoor sports, feeling sorry.” Bert’s face broke into an active grin. “A sport enjoyed by…
The Andromeda Strain
”The rock, for its part, is not even aware of our existence because we are alive for only a brief instant of its lifespan. To it, we are like flashes in the dark.” -Michael Crichton, The Andromeda Strain (Andromeda, #1) For millions of years, the Earth formed because the sun provided energy to it and…
Melophobia
You can drive all nightLookin’ for the answers in the pourin’ rainYou wanna find peace of mindLookin’ for the answer-Cigarette Daydreams by Cage the ElephantA song has lyrics.A Melody has tunes.For me, this album might be the best by the band Cage the Elephant.Perhaps it’s not as popular now as a kind of pop song,…
Pirate Latitudes
”But one never really understood life in the New World until confronted with the actual rude experience.”-Michael Crichton, Pirate LatitudesThe journey you seek to make is adventurous enough to have excitement and terror.Just like The Odyssey by Homer.It always depends on the captain on what and why he gives an order.
The Romantic
For just the chance to win your heartYou could set the bar beyond the starsI’ll do anything, anything you ask me toSay you want the moonWatch me learn to flyAin’t no mountain you could point toI wouldn’t climb-Risk It AllSong by Bruno MarsThis album is perhaps the best by Bruno Mars.Track by Track to his…
I’m Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen
”You finish listening to a song of Leonard’s and you know he’s said everything he had to say, he didn’t let the song go till he was done with it.” -Sylvie Simmons, I’m Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen Music is the only kind of thing that you can’t force someone to consume, even…
State of Fear
”Do you know what we call opinion in the absence of evidence? We call it prejudice.”-Michael Crichton, State of FearWhat are the first things to look at when there is something called judgment?Maybe Evidence.However, discussing evidence doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the proof that the judge or prosecutor will use to make a judgment.This is why…
Spies of No Country
”You need the instinct of a person who knows how to fit in, to remove the sharp edges and curve into the society.” But when he wasn’t a spy yet, just a proud youth perceptive enough to notice condescension, it hurt to round his edges.”-Matti Friedman, Spies of No Country: Secret Lives at the Birth…
Heat
Vincent Hanna: My life’s a disaster zone. I got a stepdaughter so fucked up because her real father’s this large-type asshole. I got a wife, we’re passing each other on the down-slope of a marriage – my third – because I spend all my time chasing guys like you around the block. That’s my life.Neil…
The City Changes Its Face
”For an age, for an hour, for a minute or two I couldn’t hear beyond the muffle and was trying so hard to. Staring right into it. Sick with the wait.”-Eimear McBride, The City Changes Its FaceTime will always pass by.The reality is that time won’t stop, even if you want it to stop so…
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man
Tommy Shelby: All of us dead, except the one who wants to be dead.Death may be the greatest challenge a human being can face.But death is only part of the life that you live.It means that before that happens, you live the life that you deserve.This film tells the story of one man who faces…
The Ascent of Money
”Money is a matter of belief, even faith: belief in the person paying us; belief in the person issuing the money he uses or the institution that honours his cheques or transfers. Money is not metal. It is trust inscribed. And it does not seem to matter much where it is inscribed: on silver, on…
In Praise of Shadows and Other Essays
”We find beauty not in the thing itself but in the patterns of shadows, the light and the darkness, that one thing against another creates.”-Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, In Praise of Shadows and Other EssaysThere is always light and dark.Good and evil.Without the other, life might be perfect.It might be a utopian society.However, there is imperfection, and…
The Theory of Everything
Stephen Hawking: There should be no boundaries to human endeavor. We are all different. However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there’s life, there is hope.Different people have various responsibilities in life.This life is a privilege that allows you to create and do the things you…
Talk of the Devil
“I don’t want yachts, race-horses or a Rolls-Royce. I want my family and my friends and good health… and somehow to give pleasure, whether innocent or illicit, to people in their millions. Well, you can’t ask for more.”-Ian Fleming, Talk of the Devil: The Collected Writings of Ian FlemingMoney is a story that a person…
Past Lives
Hae Sung: What if this is a past life as well, and we are already something else to each other in our next life? Who do you think we are then?The past is past, and those past things may serve as a lesson to help us move forward in life.There is something called “Narrative, Story”…
The Silver Book
“Nonfiction can’t keep up with how strange and fast-moving reality has become. I had to switch to fiction because it allows me to be swift and direct like an arrow.”–Olivia Laing https://www.anothermag.com/design-living/16768/olivia-laing-the-silver-book-interview-pier-paolo-pasolini-felliniThat’s maybe the difference between fiction and nonfiction.Both provide an in-depth experience, not just a one-sided story, but something beyond that.Providing something, whether it…
It’s Never Over: Jeff Buckley
Michael Tighe: It’s a huge cliché that, you know, bands are like families. But they are.It’s more to say that teamwork makes the best work.However, different people in the band had varying responsibilities.This documentary about Jeff Buckley provides a more in-depth account of his life and music.
Masters of the Air
”A human being has to look out for other human beings or else there’s no civilization.”-Donald L. Miller, Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi GermanyCooperation may be the key to sustaining peace and order.Without peace and order, chaos will ensue.Following is a must but situations are more…
American Hustle
Sydney Prosser: You’re nothing to me until you’re everything.We are born in this world with nothing.Nothing means that there are no material things you carry, especially when you are an innocent baby.Growing up is a crucial thing because there is something new every day.New means that we have to gather things or gain experience.This film…
A Wing and a Prayer
”Small wonder that navigators didn’t get promoted. They were just duplicates of what gunners could do.” -Harry H. Crosby, A Wing and a Prayer: The “Bloody 100th” Bomb Group of the US Eighth Air Force in Action Over Europe in World War II Ordinary people especially those who are new in their job (whatever responsibility…
Ocean’s Eleven
Danny: [referring to her relationship with Terry] Does he make you laugh? Tess: [sincerely] He doesn’t make me cry. Relationships are always complicated, but they have elements of agreement and disagreement. The point might be choices. In terms of relationships, always follow your heart. Why? Because that’s the choice you will never regret that may…
The House of Rothschild
“All rapidly accumulated wealth is either the result of luck or discovery, or the result of a legalised theft.” -Niall Ferguson, The House of Rothschild: Volume 1: Money’s Prophets: 1798-1848 Wealth has different kinds of definitions. It might be due to the hard work of the person or a clever approach to creating something worthwhile,…
Migrations
”It isn’t fair to be the kind of creature who is able to love but unable to stay.” -Charlotte McConaghy, Migrations Human beings at their best have feelings or emotions whether it is positive or negative. Positivity is a must but reality hurts, which brings negativity. The only thing that matters is how we approach…
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Joel: [narration as Clementine acknowledges him by raising her coffee mug] Why do I fall in love with every woman I see who shows me the least bit of attention? For me, I think you only love the one person who you believe will make you, and who has a developing character that has the…
A Different Person
”Freedom to be oneself is all very well; the greater freedom is not to be oneself.” -James Merrill, A Different Person: A Memoir Freedom is a topic that is discussed a lot nowadays. But following the rules and guidance is essential enough to make something or give an order not chaos. You can do whatever…
Before Sunrise
Street Poet: Daydream delusion, limousine eyelash / Oh baby with your pretty face / Drop a tear in my wineglass / Look at those big eyes / See what you mean to me / Sweet-cakes and milkshakes / I’m a delusion angel / I’m a fantasy parade / I want you to know what I…
3 Shades of Blue
”Knowledge is freedom and ignorance is slavery.” -James Kaplan, 3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the Lost Empire of Cool Knowledge, to me, is about thinking what you can think of. Knowing what you can know about. There is a difference between gaining and applying. Gaining means knowing that it…
The Undoing Project
”The secret to doing good research is always to be a little underemployed. You waste years by not being able to waste hours.” -Michael Lewis, The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds There is always a need to experiment. Experimenting means to gain experience. An experience not to become perfect, even though there…
Now You See Me
J. Daniel Atlas: The closer you think you are, the less you’ll actually see.We live in a magical era of possibility that past generations could never have imagined.Sending messages in the blink of an eye.Sharing videos and photos openly with the public.Free music anywhere you want to listen to.This is a different kind of freedom,…
Once There Were Wolves
“The world he describes, empty of wild creatures and places, overrun instead by people and their agriculture, is a dying world.”-Charlotte McConaghy, Once There Were WolvesWhen you look back at the world of its origin or before the Cognitive Revolution, Agricultural Revolution, Scientific Revolution, Industrial Revolution, etc. It starts with a caveman.A caveman who hunts,…
Focus
Nicky: It’s about distraction. It’s about focus. The brain is slow and it can’t multitask. Tap him here, take from there.We live in a distracted world.What I mean by “distracted” is that there is too much information, and experts call it “Information overload.”Back in the days when there was no social media or internet the…
Wreck
”Life is a near-death experience. And death is a real-life one. You just want to wake up while you still can. While the world is turning and the owls are calling and gratitude is the very air you are still breathing, because, whatever happens next, that’s how lucky you are. You are still breathing.” -Catherine…
The Achilles Trap
“One of King Hussein’s skeptical advisers had warned him “to expect a half-baked presentation” at the C.I.A. The spy agency briefers would cloak their lack of knowledge about the internal situation in Iraq “through the use of elaborate graphs, charts, and presentational aids.” Even in these early days of PowerPoint’s hegemony over Washington, an overload…
GoodFellas
Henry Hill: [Narrating] As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.There is a saying that “No man is an island.”Every person belongs to a group, whether it is a tribe, community, team, or company.Those groups of people when they pull together will become a society.This film is a classic…
Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here
”Politics is a form of selective amnesia. The people who survive it are our only insurance against forgetting.”-Jonathan Blitzer, Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a CrisisWhat I understand about it is that problems, issues, and other conflicts will often be overlooked, and these issues will…
Wellness
”And the only thing she was certain of was this: that between ourselves and the world are a million stories, and if we don’t know which among them are true, we might as well try out those that are most humane, most generous, most beautiful, most loving.”-Nathan Hill, WellnessStories are experiences that shape us and…
Takedown
”Knowledge didn’t equal power, it was the proper application of knowledge that equaled power.” -Brad Thor, Takedown (Scot Harvath, #5) The education system makes us feel slave and become obedient people. This makes it feel useful for industrialists especially in the early days of the industrial revolution. But now the internet has revolutionized and democratized…
Aftersun
Sophie: I think it’s nice that we share the same sky.Calum: What you mean?Sophie: Well, like… Sometimes at playtime, I look up at the sky and if I can see the Sun then… I think that the fact that we can both see the Sun, so even though we’re not actually in the same place…
The Mirror & the Light
”This is what life does for you in the end; it arranges a fight you can’t win.”-Hilary Mantel, The Mirror & the Light (Thomas Cromwell, #3)Fairness might be the answer but it’s not an option.It means that there is always an advantage and a disadvantage.The alternative is always to be the kind of person who…
Blue Velvet
Frank Booth: Hey, you wanna go for a ride?Jeffrey Beaumont: No, thanks.Frank Booth: No, thanks? What does that mean?Jeffrey Beaumont: I don’t wanna go.Frank Booth: Go where?Jeffrey Beaumont: For a ride.Frank Booth: A ride! Now that’s a good idea!I always say that it always depends on the driver who makes the car.It means that it…
Path of the Assassin
”He had long ago learned to take his peaceful moments where he could find them. Who knew what tomorrow would bring?”-Brad Thor, Path of the Assassin (Scot Harvath, #2)Having a peaceful mind might feel boring, especially when you are at home with nowhere to go.But sometimes peace brings a mind free from worries and shame…
Ford v Ferrari
Carroll Shelby: [narration] There’s a point at 7,000 RPM… where everything fades. The machine becomes weightless. Just disappears. And all that’s left is a body moving through space and time. 7,000 RPM. That’s where you meet it. You feel it coming. It creeps up on you, close in your ear. Asks you a question. The…
Directorate S
“One view at the highest levels of the U.S. embassy in Kabul by summer’s end was that Karzai “was a very clever madman—just because he was insane doesn’t mean he was stupid.”-Steve Coll, Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America’s Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan, 2001-2016Being smart can sometimes be perceived as foolish by those…
1917
Colonel MacKenzie: I hoped today might be a good day. Hope is a dangerous thing. That’s it for now, then next week, Command will send a different message. Attack at dawn. There is only one way this war ends. Last man standing.There is always a beginning and an end.That’s called a finite game.And there is…
The Director
”Times are always strange. Art is always out of place. Always unnecessary when it’s made. And later, when you look back, it’s the only thing that mattered.”-Daniel Kehlmann, The DirectorThis is the question that you should ask about…”What are the things that you are made of and not just you create but it’s important enough…
Euphoria
“Perhaps all science is merely self-investigation.”-Lily King, EuphoriaOne thing we learn about science is that it’s applicable in many other ways.Being a scientist involves trial and error, as it’s about experimenting.Experimenting with things that give something or you saw something in a theoretical way.If failure is an option neither is success.You need to have a…
Dallas Buyers Club
Ron Woodroof: I like your style, doc. Different people have different kinds of style. A style is unique in its own way. A style might be a brand. There is a difference between Nike and Adidas and they are unique even in their logos but they are in the same industry selling shoes. Android and…
Band of Brothers
“We know how to win wars. We must learn now to win peace…”-Stephen E. Ambrose, Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle’s NestWars occur because there is likely a tension between the most powerful nations, which is often reflected in how their armed forces are challenged.Wars are not…
What We Can Know
”They were big and brave, superb scholars and scientists, musicians, actors and athletes, and they were idiots who were throwing it all away, even as their high culture lamented or roared in pain.”-Ian McEwan, What We Can KnowAnxiety kicks in when the future is uncertain.However, you don’t know what the future holds.This is why you…
Hacksaw Ridge
Desmond Doss: Maybe I am prideful… but I don’t know how I’m going to live with myself if I don’t stay true to what I believe… much less how you could live with me. I’d never be the man that I wanna be in your eyes.Having a conviction doesn’t mean you are detached from anyone,…
The Apostle
“There aren’t many honest men or women in Washington anymore. Politicians get where they are by the sheer force of their egos, not their convictions. And you know what? It’s our fault as voters. We don’t demand better candidates, so we end up getting what we deserve—on both sides of the aisle.” -Brad Thor, The…
Mark Tacastacas 
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